Good News Electricity only going up 65%

Subject: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Dickey
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 12:13 AM

I just got the good news from Baltimore Gas and electric. The electric rate is only going up 65%.

Verbatim from a flyer included in my electric bill:

Electric Rate Update.

Electricity bills will increase in June, but less than expected. Current estimates of the Maryland Public Service Commission indicate that electricity bills for residential customers will rise by an approximate additional 50 percent starting in June. When combined with the 15 percent rate increase last July 1st, residential customers will be paying less for electricity than previously projected, and customers' rates will continue to be amongst the lowest utilities in the region.

The rate now is $ .1056 so it will only go to $ .1584. Man are we lucky

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: dianavan
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 12:34 AM

What is the source of your electricity and who supplies it? You have several choices.

"100 Ways to Help Control Your Energy Bill"

http://www.alleghenypower.com/CSC/100Ways.asp

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: folk1e
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 03:24 AM

Typical prices in UK are £0.10/ Kw! That relates to about $0.15. But there is an additional service charge of typicaly £1.40/Week! We do have about 20 suppliers though so these prices are an average. Check out Uswitch.com

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 08:44 PM

We're going to implement a program to "green" the library (which should have been done when it was built). Electronic ballasts in the fluorescent lights, complete the suspended ceiling, replace the lights where indicated, use fans to move the air as much as we can, replace halogen-based spotlight bulbs with fluorsencent ones, etc. There's only a finite amount of electricity available, and Idaho Power will pay a small percentage of the costs. Our big savings will come from lower energy bills.

I can't believe some of the stuff that wasn't done! Like too little insulation and not wrapping the ductwork in insulation -- stuff I knew to do in the '70s. But then, as the Mayor says, the place was built on the cheap.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 08:48 PM

Yea! Now those economical heat pumps will cost as much as gas.

Dickey, I am subject to this same rate hike. They are going to ramp it up over a couple years instead of just raising it 80% all at once.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Bill D
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 10:57 PM

so...my summer AC will now have to be a fan directed over a pan of ice? Seems to me my grandmother did it that way in the 30s.

Seriously...with the jump in natural gas, and the fuel prices, I am in trouble. I am on Social Security, with only minor other sources on income.

Maryland has not explained to me exactly why it has to rise that much.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 02:07 AM

On sale here for a couple of years have been small elec fans that let you plug in two frozen plastic 'bricks' that gradually thaw and suck up heat and air moisture. How long they last depends on the conditions, but in a room (a small one - or get more than one unit) which has the windows shut so that there is no great current of air thru it, you can get an hour or two per charge. You can then swap the bricks for a couple more in your freezer. You run the fans at a low setting - just enough to circulate air.

It's a slow gentle process, but you can get 5 - 10 deg C difference inside from outside - and by sucking some of the moisture out of the air, it makes a big comfort difference in 40 deg C 95%+ Brisbane humidity! Also not as expensive to run as compressor air-conditioning.

It's not the same as a block of ice - that would only increase the humidity - and those 'water evap' gadgets are useless here in high humidity too.

Actually you can hack up one of these easy enough - a couple of old PC (12V would be fine) PC fans and some of those freezer blocks in a case - with a drip try.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 11:02 AM

We get quite high humidity at times here in the Wash DC area in the Summer. In Kansas when I was a kid, we used to have a 'water cooler' which drew outside air thru a bat of 'excelsior'..(wood shavings) with water driping thru it.

I may try to work up some sort of fan+blue ice trick...I have a bunch of both.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Metchosin
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 11:44 AM

Well if anyone is interested, they can have our new electrical meter. According to it, we only used $22 worth of electricity during the months of January and February and that was with the electric heat and the hot tub working as well. Of course if you are in BC here, a meter reading such as ours could get you a visit from the RCMP as a grow-op suspect.

We have advised both Hydro and the electrical company that installed the new meter in December, after the service wires were ripped from our old one in the aftermath of a storm, that while we like the new low cost of our electricity, we'd prefer not to invite a visit from the police.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Little Hawk
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 11:48 AM

The same basic thing has been happening in Canada for the last ten years. It all started with "de-regulation", which was supposed to make things "cheaper" through free market competition (ha! ha!).

The Big Lie, as usual. The old system was arranged to serve the public. The new system is arranged to serve the CEOs of large corporate business interests.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 12:05 PM

Yep..."de-regulation"..lots of competition! Buy electricity from the cheapest source.....BAH! No one who HAS it to sell is gonna offer good deals.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: folk1e
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 10:18 PM

30 years ago our domestic tariff was £0.069/unit
Now it is £0.10/unit!
If it was index linked it would be £0.28/unit!
The de-regulation of suppliers is chaos though! The regulator only appears to be interested in prices and not in service provided, ensuring we get a poor (but cheap) service!

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: Rapparee
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 10:27 PM

CEOs:fatwwtrc.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: folk1e
Date: 23 Mar 07 - 08:01 PM

CEOs:fatwwtrc.????

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: saulgoldie
Date: 24 Mar 07 - 12:29 PM

As with more than one system, power should be regulated for the public interest. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But the much-vaunted free market is just NOT the solution for everything that ails us. There are some things that just have to be regulated. In fact, many more than some would have us believe. Power is just one of them.

Having said that, however, we should brace ourselves for steady price increases. Between environmental concerns and increased competetion for dwindling supplies of oil and whatnot, the prices will have to go up, regulated or not.

Subject: RE: Good News Electricity only going up 65%
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Mar 07 - 08:21 PM

"There are some things that just have to be regulated. In fact, many more than some would have us believe. Power is just one of them."

Pity the USA currently seems to have a President who doesn't appreciate^* that...


^* ... in more than one sense of the word... :-)